The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way in which both staff and students access and use educational technologies to facilitate teaching and learning. Since working from home commenced, teaching staff have been required to explore and learn new technologies to assist with their teaching. Naturally as confidence develops in utilising online delivery tools such as webinars and content capture, teaching staff are beginning to switch their focus into exploring how they can mimic or mirror more traditional face to face elements of their teaching into a pedagogically effective distance scenario. This method of online delivery is by no means revolutionary, but one in which still causes much hesitation in its widespread adoption in Higher Education both in the UK and worldwide.

In this article I will discuss some of the solutions I recently investigated across both Zoom and Panopto (in a sense live and pre-recorded content). In instances where a specific piece of kit is discussed, links and further information to the company website will be referenced. It is important to acknowledge that there are other pieces of technology that can be used in addition to the ones discussed within this post. If you are considering utilising other technologies, please do not hesitate to contact the Digital Education team for further advice.

Portable visualisers

The first item of technology I explored was a portable visualiser. The visualiser allows the projection of an image, document or project onto a projector screen to allow students to see within the classroom.  Visualisers are popular in many of the STEM subjects such as mathematics and engineering as they allow students to follow real time work such as writing out formula in mathematical equations.

Due to their potential use in many subject disciplines, I was keen to investigate their impact on facilitating distance learning where space was not a limiting factor.

Following discussions with colleagues from other UK institutions, I was directed to a company called IPEVO, who produce a series of document cameras (read Visualisers). Whilst there were many different read visualisers to choose from, the team procured the V4K for approximately £100 and the higher end VZ-R in the region of £200.

The main difference between the two visualisers is the additional functionality that the VZ-R includes. A visual example of the difference is highlighted in our test demonstration. The camera on both visualisers is the same camera for comparison.

Both during and after testing, I was impressed at the quality of the camera and the ease of setting the equipment up. As both visualisers are plug and play, they are fully functioning and ready for use 30-60 seconds after plugging them in. The examples below show the use with both Zoom and Panopto.

• With Zoom (5:30 into the video)
• With Panopto

Digital Annotation – Using OneNote

As part of my investigations, I decided to look at digital annotation. There are various methods of using digital annotation, either via a mouse, a stylus or simply using your own finger.

In terms of Panopto, it’s easy to capture the screen through the recorder so you can use this function to record a programme like OneNote that has some inbuilt drawing tools.

In this video example, I used OneNote with an old Wacom tablet and should therefore be considered more of a proof of concept than a realistic representation of the quality you would achieve with newer tablet and stylus

Next, I looked at the use of a laptop with an integrated touch screen component. For this example video, a Surface Pro 4 was used and whilst the outcome of the test was similar as the previous test using the tablet and stylus, the functionality and use was more intuitive.

Microsoft Whiteboard and an iPad capture

The last technology and theme to explore with Panopto, was whether it was possible to capture an input from an iPad or similar device. I proceeded to investigate the use of an iPad with Microsoft Whiteboard and record the results.

Microsoft Whiteboard  is an application that allows users to use a freeform digital canvas to work collaboratively using either a pen, touch or a keyboard. It was simple to use the Microsoft Whiteboard application on the iPad visually and capture on the laptop screen in real time.

Depending on your requirements, you could use the inbuilt screen recording ability of the capture content on an iPad and upload the video file to Panopto. This would be sufficient if you just wanted the video to appear on the iPad.

Zoom does have an inbuilt whiteboard function and will also work with both a stylus and a mouse. If you are using a device like a Surface Pro, you can use the touchscreen in addition. The whiteboard functionality within zoom is also collaborative and provides an excellent opportunity for collaborative work with students.

I also wanted to experiment with the use of an iPad within a session. There is the option to do this built into Zoom but after testing I found this clunky and not always responsive which would not function well in an online classroom situation.

What did work well was to bring the iPad in as a participant to the meeting (choosing to turn the video and audio off on entry). This allowed me to continue delivery from my computer, then when required, I was able to share the screen of the iPad. This was delivered by either using it to input into Zooms whiteboard, or to use and show the specific apps.

The recorded video briefly demonstrates these options, but a more professional finished result would be achieved with a newer iPad and the Apple Pencil combined

Conclusion

These tests are an illustration of the potential uses of the technology and are a small sample of the many different tools and ways in which they can be implemented. They provide a starting point for consideration on how you can develop workflows to change from traditional classroom taught methods to that of a more mixed distance approach.

If you would like a more in-depth discussion or demo around any of the technologies discussed in our blog post, please contact the Digital Education team.